Effects of isotretinoin and acitretin on neuroregeneration in experimental spinal cord injury

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine whether isotretinoin and acitretin have beneficial effects on neural tissue damage following acute spinal cord injury. METHODS: Thirty-six rats were randomly divided into 6 groups: control, sham spinal cord injury, spinal cord injury with isotretinoin 15 mg/kg for 14 days, spinal cord injury with isotretinoin 15 mg/kg for 28 days, spinal cord injury with acitretin 10 mg/kg for 14 days, and spinal cord injury with acitretin 10 mg/kg for 28 days. The damage to the spinal cord was formed by the clip compression technique. A neurological evaluation was conducted on days 1, 14, and 28. All rats were sacrificed following the treatment period, and samples of their spinal cords were collected for histopathological analysis. RESULTS: The inclined plane angle was significantly increased on the 14th and 28th days in the isotretinoin 15 mg and acitretin 10 mg groups, compared to the spinal injury group (P = .049 and P = .009, respectively). The Drummond–Moore criterion was significantly higher in the acitretin 10 mg group than in the injury group (P = .026). Cleaved Caspase-3 expression was similar in the isotretinoin 15 mg day 28 group and the control group (P > .05), but significantly decreased in the acitretin 10 mg 14th-day and acitretin 10 mg 28th-day groups compared to spinal injury isotretinoin 15 mg 14th-day and isotretinoin 15 mg 28th-day groups (P < .05). CONCLUSION: This was the first study elaborating that isotretinoin and acitretin reduced neuronal apoptosis and improved functional recovery after spinal cord injury. These neuroprotective effects might open a window of opportunity for patients.